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Dunedin is set to become the most connected town in the Southern Hemisphere, flying the flag for New Zealand's transformation to becoming a gig nation, powered by ultra-fast broadband. The win, combined with Dunedin’s strength and focus in the ICT and medical/health technology sectors will present new opportunities for business events in the city.

Dunedin has won Chorus’s Gigatown competition, which was launched in October 2013 with Chorus announcing that one town in New Zealand would receive the fastest internet in the Southern Hemisphere. In the first round, 50 towns from around New Zealand competed to become the country's first Gigatown. In September, after fierce competition, Gisborne, Dunedin, Timaru, Nelson and Wanaka were announced as finalists and last night, Dunedin won the title.

Along with new ultrafast 1Gbps broadband and funding for $700,000 worth of UFB-related initiatives across the community, Mayor Dave Cull says Dunedin has gained so much more through the campaigns ‘all-of-city’ involvement. "This has been a time for us to think about the possibilities that 1Gbps ultrafast broadband will open up for Dunedin.”

While most convention centres around the world offer wired and wireless Internet connections, connecting to the new ultra-high speed fibre gigabit network could give Dunedin an unprecedented edge when it comes to attracting conventions and trade shows. The digital arena is an important area of growth in the business events sector and this is an extra carrot to dangle when it comes to securing conferences in these areas.

Bree Jones, Business Events for Enterprise Dunedin says, “With the focus we are putting on working with our University to secure international conferences, being named New Zealand’s ‘Gigatown’ will help to give us an edge over competing destinations around the world. Being a part of the Smart City network allows us access to influencers in this fast developing sector.”For further details contact: